Taking your baby to the chiropractor??

Cayla - posted on 01/09/2009
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I was told by another mom that when her son starts to get a little sick.. even just a runny nose she takes him in to see a baby chiropractor!! He gets fixed up and she says even within that same day he is already getting over his sickness!!

Do you think that a baby seeing a chiropractor is something that is very safe to do over and over again??

(She has told me that her son has never had medicines besides the shots at the Dr's he is 1 1/2 yrs old)

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Erica - posted on 01/10/2009

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My father is a chiropractor and I received my first adjustment at 5 days old. We always used adjustments as our first treatment and rarely ever had to use other means. My daughter had her first adjustment at 6 days old and receives an adjustment about every 2 months (she is now 2). She has not been seriously ill.

Your spine is the communication system and chiropractic adjustments realign everything so it can communicate correctly.

As with any specialist you'd go to, ask around to see what people think of them before taking your baby to the chiropractor. All chiropractors are different and have a different "touch". That can make a big difference in your comfort level. If it feels too rough, it might just be that particular doctor.

I would be very wary of going to a chiropractor at all. My mother is a physician and would never recommend a chiropractor to anyone. In fact, I have a friend who had been seeing a chiropractor regularly and he ended up causing her nerve damage in her neck that required surgery. Evidently, it's not uncommon for chiropractors to do more harm than good. Trust in the fact that your breast milk will protect your baby from most of the germs you come into contact with:) If your baby does get sick, just look at it as an immune system building opportunity...more antibodies building up before he/she goes to preschool!

I have taken my son to a chiropractor a half dozen times or so, the first time was a few weeks after birth. It is just important to find one who specializes in working on babies. Baby chiropractors are very gentle. There is no cracking or anything like that. Chiropractors hold the baby upright with their hands around the torso and work their fingers around the spine. They might also hold them upside down to adjust them.

I have a chiropractor that I went to and trusted and a few people told me the same thing. It helps with reflux, prevents ear infections and all that. I had my chiropractor look at the baby just once when I went and she has been perfectly healthy so far.

I think it depends on the practitioner but I also think many doctors have a misconception about it. It isn't like cracking backs like they do to adults, It's really feeling along the spine gently and not traumatic maneuvers at all. It also doesn't take visit after visit from what my chiropractor told me.

If I didn't have a good one, I wouldn't have done it just prophylactically but if my baby had bad reflux or an issue I would try it. I hope this helps.

Ive taken my son to a chiropractor. It is the same chiropractor that adjusted me when I was pregnant with syatic nerve problems. I really like him though and completely trust him. My son was having problems nursing on one side and turns out his neck was sore (which I had no idea that it was!). The Dr mostly massaged and told me how to massage at home to make him feel better then he did one or two small adjustments which are not rough at all. My son wasnt bothered at all or even noticing what was going on, he just liked the massage! I dont take him there over and over again, he was in for the neck problem and then only needs to go for a check up every couple of months and hasnt had an adjustment since the neck problem- the dr just makes sure that everything is growing properly and is aligned. the Dr said there would be no reason to take my son repeatedly, they dont have the same problems as adults and the problems they do have tend to be fixed easliy and quickley. I would find a chiropractor you trust before taking your child there and do a lot of research. Good luck with whatever you choose!

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Sara - posted on 04/30/2013

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When I was 18 I went to my first chiropractor because I have bad back problems, the chiropractor ended up making me even worse. I'm now 25 and my back pain got so bad this last week and a half that my husband talked me into going to a different chiropractor after I went to the doctor and they were unable to help me they just gave me pain killers that didn't help. My chiropractor is amazing I feel better then I have in years I also now have an 11 week old baby girl who will be seeing him on Friday. After doing research and knowing he adjust's his wife and 9 month old daughter makes me feel a lot better about her seeing him I can't wait to see how she feels after.

My husband and I regularly go to a chiropractor. I have a bad back inherited from my family and he has scoliosis, so we really need it. When my son was born, my chiro talked to us about bringing in our son. We decided to b/c I knew that it could help align any trauma from birth (squeezing through that tiny hole isn't easy on their bodies either), and even help breastfeeding. Now he is adjusted about once a month. Like Katie said, no cracking, just holding them in their hands and using the tips of their fingers to gently move the bones. I think it is a very healthy thing to do. I will say that I would only let a chiropractor I trusted to do this. We have been using ours for over a year now, and he adjusted me through my pregnancy. He adjusted his wife through her pregnancy, and adjusts his daughter. His wife is a chiro too, so I know if SHE let him adjust her/her daughter, he would do a good job with me and my son.

Thank you all for the info!! This helps out tremendously now I know that other moms do it occasionally it is not so frightening to me:) I will definitely do a lot more research on baby chiropractors if I ever have to take my daughter in!!

Some chiropractors are much much better than others... and it seems like there are a lot of bad ones out there. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to figure out which is which. Particularly when your child cannot communicate to you how they're feeling. I have never been to a chiropractor, but many of my family members have been. Most of the experiences of my father and MIL with their chiropractors have been ultimately bad (good for a while, then increasingly worse). However, my dad and sister have found one that they're extremely happy with. My father credits this chiropractor with improving his hearing. My sister has brought her children to this practice after her experience with them after 2 cases of severe whiplash in one year (they're 11, 8 and 6)... but RARELY.

I think there is benefit in alternative medicines... I'd do a lot of research and ask a lot of questions before bringing an infant/toddler/baby to a chiropractor repeatedly.

Thank you all for the info!! This helps out tremendously now I know that other moms do it occasionally it is not so frightening to me:) I will definitely do a lot more research on baby chiropractors if I ever have to take my daughter in!!

Some chiropractors are much much better than others... and it seems like there are a lot of bad ones out there. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to figure out which is which. Particularly when your child cannot communicate to you how they're feeling. I have never been to a chiropractor, but many of my family members have been. Most of the experiences of my father and MIL with their chiropractors have been ultimately bad (good for a while, then increasingly worse). However, my dad and sister have found one that they're extremely happy with. My father credits this chiropractor with improving his hearing. My sister has brought her children to this practice after her experience with them after 2 cases of severe whiplash in one year (they're 11, 8 and 6)... but RARELY.

I think there is benefit in alternative medicines... I'd do a lot of research and ask a lot of questions before bringing an infant/toddler/baby to a chiropractor repeatedly.